MathCounts
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its founding sponsors include the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers
National Society of Professional Engineers
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a professional engineering organization in the United States. From their press releases:...
, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally....
. The competition is designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.
The subject matter includes geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
, and algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
. Although they are included in some of the aforementioned subjects, complex numbers, calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
, and trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
are not featured in the contest because these subjects are considered in general to be more advanced than middle-school mathematics. Instead, the contest emphasizes problem solving skill within traditional middle-school mathematics.
Competition levels
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, chapter, state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, and nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al. In general, the problems become harder as one progresses towards nationals. The school round is optional and does not have to be used to determine the team sent from each school. Each school is allowed to register one team of four students and up to six individual students.
High-ranking students and teams from each chapter competition progress to the state-level competition. At the chapter-level all students are eligible to advance based on their individual score, but members of a team are also eligible to advance based on their team score. The exact number of qualifiers varies from chapter to chapter. At the state level, the top four individuals, which, from state to state, varies between using solely the written results or including the Countdown round results, progress to nationals as a single team representing the state. When a school wins the best team award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
, the coach of that school is named the coach of the state team. As a result, a state team is typically made up of students from different schools.
Structure
The Mathcounts program is open to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in every U.S. state and territory. Students can particpate through the Competition Program, the Club Program, and the Reel Math Challenge. Before 2010, homeschools and virtual schools were allowed to compete in all aspects of the program. In 2010–2011 program year, such schools were limited to individual participation with one exception; homeschool clubs that participated as a team in 2009–2010 were grandfathered into the 2010–2011 competition. Starting with the 2010-2011 program year, the Board of Directors established new guidelines that again allowed home and virtual schools to participate both as individuals and as members of a team.The standard Mathcounts competition contains four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown. At the national and some state competitions, the top four contestants, determined by the Countdown Round, participate in the Masters Round. Some state and regional competitions add extra rounds, such as the Ciphering round.
Sprint Round
In the Sprint Round, contestants solve a written exam consisting of 30 problems with a time limit of 40 minutes. There are no penalties for incorrect answers. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are not permitted, and contestants work individually.
Questions in the Sprint Round are usually the easiest problems in the written individual contests because the Sprint Round tests contestants' ability to solve problems within a tight time constraint
Time constraint
In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot...
. The problems get harder from the first question to the last. Sprint round questions are worth one point each. A good score ranges between 20 and 30.
Target Round
The Target Round contains four, two-problem mini-examinations, for which six minutes are allowed per pair. The problems in the Target Round are usually more difficult than most of the problems in the Sprint Round. In the pairs, one question tends to be a "confidence booster" and another a challenging problem. Each problem is worth two points. The mini-exams tend to get harder as the round progresses, with the first mini-exam having the easier problems and the last mini-exam having the hardest problems. A good score ranges between 6 and 8. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are permitted, and contestants work individually.
Team Round
The Team Round is a ten question exam for which twenty minutes are allotted. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are allowed, and up to four teammates take the examination as a group. In this round, contestants are allowed to discuss the problems within the team. These problems are typically more difficult than the individual round problems, so that it would be difficult for a single contestant to solve all of them alone within the available time. Each question is worth 2 points for the team score, and are added to the average of the four individual scores in order to determine the winning team. A good score ranges between 6 and 10.
Countdown Round
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its founding sponsors include the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers
National Society of Professional Engineers
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a professional engineering organization in the United States. From their press releases:...
, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally....
. The competition is designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.
The subject matter includes geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
, and algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
. Although they are included in some of the aforementioned subjects, complex numbers, calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
, and trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
are not featured in the contest because these subjects are considered in general to be more advanced than middle-school mathematics. Instead, the contest emphasizes problem solving skill within traditional middle-school mathematics.
Competition levels
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, chapter, state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, and nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al. In general, the problems become harder as one progresses towards nationals. The school round is optional and does not have to be used to determine the team sent from each school. Each school is allowed to register one team of four students and up to six individual students.
High-ranking students and teams from each chapter competition progress to the state-level competition. At the chapter-level all students are eligible to advance based on their individual score, but members of a team are also eligible to advance based on their team score. The exact number of qualifiers varies from chapter to chapter. At the state level, the top four individuals, which, from state to state, varies between using solely the written results or including the Countdown round results, progress to nationals as a single team representing the state. When a school wins the best team award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
, the coach of that school is named the coach of the state team. As a result, a state team is typically made up of students from different schools.
Structure
The Mathcounts program is open to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in every U.S. state and territory. Students can particpate through the Competition Program, the Club Program, and the Reel Math Challenge. Before 2010, homeschools and virtual schools were allowed to compete in all aspects of the program. In 2010–2011 program year, such schools were limited to individual participation with one exception; homeschool clubs that participated as a team in 2009–2010 were grandfathered into the 2010–2011 competition. Starting with the 2010-2011 program year, the Board of Directors established new guidelines that again allowed home and virtual schools to participate both as individuals and as members of a team.The standard Mathcounts competition contains four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown. At the national and some state competitions, the top four contestants, determined by the Countdown Round, participate in the Masters Round. Some state and regional competitions add extra rounds, such as the Ciphering round.
Sprint Round
In the Sprint Round, contestants solve a written exam consisting of 30 problems with a time limit of 40 minutes. There are no penalties for incorrect answers. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are not permitted, and contestants work individually.
Questions in the Sprint Round are usually the easiest problems in the written individual contests because the Sprint Round tests contestants' ability to solve problems within a tight time constraint
Time constraint
In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot...
. The problems get harder from the first question to the last. Sprint round questions are worth one point each. A good score ranges between 20 and 30.
Target Round
The Target Round contains four, two-problem mini-examinations, for which six minutes are allowed per pair. The problems in the Target Round are usually more difficult than most of the problems in the Sprint Round. In the pairs, one question tends to be a "confidence booster" and another a challenging problem. Each problem is worth two points. The mini-exams tend to get harder as the round progresses, with the first mini-exam having the easier problems and the last mini-exam having the hardest problems. A good score ranges between 6 and 8. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are permitted, and contestants work individually.
Team Round
The Team Round is a ten question exam for which twenty minutes are allotted. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are allowed, and up to four teammates take the examination as a group. In this round, contestants are allowed to discuss the problems within the team. These problems are typically more difficult than the individual round problems, so that it would be difficult for a single contestant to solve all of them alone within the available time. Each question is worth 2 points for the team score, and are added to the average of the four individual scores in order to determine the winning team. A good score ranges between 6 and 10.
Countdown Round
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its founding sponsors include the CNA Foundation, the National Society of Professional Engineers
National Society of Professional Engineers
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a professional engineering organization in the United States. From their press releases:...
, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally....
. The competition is designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.
The subject matter includes geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
, and algebra
Algebra
Algebra is the branch of mathematics concerning the study of the rules of operations and relations, and the constructions and concepts arising from them, including terms, polynomials, equations and algebraic structures...
. Although they are included in some of the aforementioned subjects, complex numbers, calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
, and trigonometry
Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies triangles and the relationships between their sides and the angles between these sides. Trigonometry defines the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships and have applicability to cyclical phenomena, such as waves...
are not featured in the contest because these subjects are considered in general to be more advanced than middle-school mathematics. Instead, the contest emphasizes problem solving skill within traditional middle-school mathematics.
Competition levels
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, chapter, state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, and nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al. In general, the problems become harder as one progresses towards nationals. The school round is optional and does not have to be used to determine the team sent from each school. Each school is allowed to register one team of four students and up to six individual students.
High-ranking students and teams from each chapter competition progress to the state-level competition. At the chapter-level all students are eligible to advance based on their individual score, but members of a team are also eligible to advance based on their team score. The exact number of qualifiers varies from chapter to chapter. At the state level, the top four individuals, which, from state to state, varies between using solely the written results or including the Countdown round results, progress to nationals as a single team representing the state. When a school wins the best team award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
, the coach of that school is named the coach of the state team. As a result, a state team is typically made up of students from different schools.
Structure
The Mathcounts program is open to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in every U.S. state and territory. Students can particpate through the Competition Program, the Club Program, and the Reel Math Challenge. Before 2010, homeschools and virtual schools were allowed to compete in all aspects of the program. In 2010–2011 program year, such schools were limited to individual participation with one exception; homeschool clubs that participated as a team in 2009–2010 were grandfathered into the 2010–2011 competition. Starting with the 2010-2011 program year, the Board of Directors established new guidelines that again allowed home and virtual schools to participate both as individuals and as members of a team.The standard Mathcounts competition contains four rounds: Sprint, Target, Team, and Countdown. At the national and some state competitions, the top four contestants, determined by the Countdown Round, participate in the Masters Round. Some state and regional competitions add extra rounds, such as the Ciphering round.
Sprint Round
In the Sprint Round, contestants solve a written exam consisting of 30 problems with a time limit of 40 minutes. There are no penalties for incorrect answers. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are not permitted, and contestants work individually.
Questions in the Sprint Round are usually the easiest problems in the written individual contests because the Sprint Round tests contestants' ability to solve problems within a tight time constraint
Time constraint
In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot...
. The problems get harder from the first question to the last. Sprint round questions are worth one point each. A good score ranges between 20 and 30.
Target Round
The Target Round contains four, two-problem mini-examinations, for which six minutes are allowed per pair. The problems in the Target Round are usually more difficult than most of the problems in the Sprint Round. In the pairs, one question tends to be a "confidence booster" and another a challenging problem. Each problem is worth two points. The mini-exams tend to get harder as the round progresses, with the first mini-exam having the easier problems and the last mini-exam having the hardest problems. A good score ranges between 6 and 8. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are permitted, and contestants work individually.
Team Round
The Team Round is a ten question exam for which twenty minutes are allotted. CalculatorCalculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are allowed, and up to four teammates take the examination as a group. In this round, contestants are allowed to discuss the problems within the team. These problems are typically more difficult than the individual round problems, so that it would be difficult for a single contestant to solve all of them alone within the available time. Each question is worth 2 points for the team score, and are added to the average of the four individual scores in order to determine the winning team. A good score ranges between 6 and 10.
Countdown Round
Ciphering Round
In some states (FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
most notably), and at both the chapter and state levels, there is a ciphering round. In this round, which does not count for overall individual or team scores, each school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
sends one representative up. A problem is then flashed up on a projector screen, and competitors, working individually, have one minute to answer. No calculators are allowed. Using a buzzer system, the judges then determine the order of answering. The first person to answer correctly earns his/her school five points, the second person four points, etc. After four questions, each school switches their representative. The process is repeated four times so that each team member has a chance to compete in a round. The team winner of this round is the school with the most points. This round is mainly a fun, fast-paced round where speed is vital. Due to the fact that no calculator
Calculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s are allowed, competitors must be able to do calculations quickly and mentally.
Scholarships
Cash scholarships are awarded to high ranking students at the national competition and many universities give scholarships including full tuition to the top finishers at the state level. Some math summer programs, such as MathPath
MathPath
MathPath is a mathematics enrichment summer program for students ages 11–14 . It is four weeks long, and moves to a different location each year. MathPath is visited by world-renowned mathematicians such as John H...
give out scholarships for doing well at MATHCOUNTS. Some of Mathcounts' other sponsors, such as Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, and Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
also provide scholarships.
Qualification for Mathcounts scholarships usually vary by state, but scholarships and prizes are usually awarded to the top ten individuals and the top three state teams at the national level. As Mathcounts promotes itself as a math coaching program, Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
offers scholarships to undergraduate students who volunteer as coaches for Mathcounts teams.
Every student and coach who participates in the national competition receives a free graphing calculator
Graphing calculator
A graphing calculator typically refers to a class of handheld calculators that are capable of plotting graphs, solving simultaneous equations, and performing numerous other tasks with variables...
, donated by sponsor Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
; in 2004, the prize was a TI-83 Plus Silver Edition. In the past, TI-81
TI-81
The TI-81 is the first graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments. It was designed in 1990 for use in algebra and precalculus courses. Since its original release, it has been superseded several times by newer calculators - the TI-82, the TI-83, the TI-83 Plus, TI-83 Plus Silver Edition, the...
s, TI-82
TI-82
The TI-82 is a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments. The TI-82 was designed in 1993 as a stripped down, more user friendly version of the TI-85, and as a replacement for the TI-81. It was the direct predecessor of the TI-83. It shares with the TI-85 a 6 MHz Zilog Z80 microprocessor...
s, TI-85
TI-85
The TI-85 was a graphing calculator made by Texas Instruments based around the Zilog Z80 microprocessor. Designed in 1992 as TI's second graphing calculator , it has since been replaced by the TI-86, which has also been discontinued....
s, TI-89s, and TI-92s have been distributed. The 2005, 2006, and 2007 prizes were TI-84 Plus Silver Editions. In 2008 and 2009, the Mathcounts prize was a TI-Nspire calculator, and the variety with a touchpad was given in 2010.
The new TI-Nspire CX was given in 2011.
Individual score
Each contestant's individual scoreScore (game)
In games, score refers to an abstract quantity associated with a player or team. Score is usually measured in the abstract unit of points, and events in the game can raise or lower the score of different parties...
is his or her Sprint Round score (out of 30) plus twice his or her Target Round score (out of 8), so that a perfect score is 46. Many years, perfect scores do not occur due to the varying difficulty of the problems from year to year. For example, in the 1994 National competition, the highest score was a 38, and a score of 35 was needed to qualify for the Countdown Round. In the 1996 National competition, the highest score was a 38, and a score of 33 sufficed for placement in the top ten and qualification for the Countdown Round. In the 2005 Nationals, the highest score was a 39, and a score of 30 sufficed for placement in the top twelve, qualifying for the Countdown Round. At the 2008 National Competition, the highest score was a 43, and a score of 37 sufficed for top twelve placement.
At Chapter and State levels, ranking is determined by raw individual score. Ties
Tiebreaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.-In matches:In some situations, the tiebreaker may consist of another round of play...
are broken by comparing performance on the Sprint Round. If contestants are still tied, the last ten problems of the Sprint Round are compared. If contestants are still tied, individual pre-selected problems are used to break ties. Occasionally, a tie-breaker round may be needed if the contestants have answered exactly the same questions correctly and incorrectly.
At the National Competition, ranking on the written portion is used to determine seeding in the Countdown round. The final place is determined by performance in the countdown round.
Team score
A team's score is equal to one-fourth the sum of its members' individual scores (even if the team has fewer than four members) plus twice the number of questions it answered correctly on the team round. A perfect team score is
.History
Mathcounts was started in 1982 by the National Society of Professional Engineers
National Society of Professional Engineers
The National Society of Professional Engineers is a professional engineering organization in the United States. From their press releases:...
, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally....
and CNA Foundation as a competitive environment to increase middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
interest in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
. The first national-level competition in the modern format was held in 1984. Before 2002, every national Mathcounts competition was held in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The rules gradually evolved throughout its history, especially in the Countdown round. It spread quickly in middle schools, and is the most well-known middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
mathematics competition.
Awards
There are many ways to win an award. At Chapter competitions, four competidors and their coaches get awards for individual scores and about four teams and their coaches get team awards. At State competitions, the awards are the same with one less team award. But in Nationals competitions, the four highest scorers, the four highest places in the Countdown Round, the three highest teams, the winner of the Masters Round, the team that improved most, and the team with the most spirit get awards.
The award for the most improved state has teams competing against the past. Which ever team has a score most improved form the year before gets this award.
The Spirit Award is different from the other awards. It uses none of your knowledge of math, but rather rewards the team for supporting each other and their state, and for creating a positive cheer/song/chant to present to all of the other teams before competing.
Results of recent competitions
The champion of the 2005 Mathcounts National Competition was Neal Wu of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, a seventh-grader at the time, and he was ranked ninth in the written round. The runner-up was Mark Zhang from the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
team. Sergei Bernstein from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
won the written round as well as the Master's Round. Texas won first place in the team competition, though Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
had three participants in the Countdown Round. Despite having the national champion, the Louisiana team placed 13th. The award for Most Improved team, comparing the current year's rank to the average of rankings from the past ten years, was Oklahoma, which placed 6th in the national competition under coach Dan Beaty. Two of the top four students were girls (Patricia Li of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Karlanna Lewis of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
) for the first time in the history of the national competition.
The champion of the 2006 Mathcounts National Competition was Daesun Yim of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and the runner up was Andrew Ardito of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, respectively ranking 5th and 10th in the written round. The nationals team winner was Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(seventeenth last year), and second and third place went to Washington (fifteenth) and Indiana (second) respectively. The winning team from last year, Texas, got fourth, and California (third last year) got tenth. The Most Improved team was South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, which went from 56th place to 16th place under coach John Rushman. The winner of the Spirit award was Wyoming. The Spirit Stick was presented to the Wyoming team by the New Hampshire team (last year's Spirit award winner). The written round winner was last year's champion, Neal Wu. The written round runner-up was Daniel Li of VA, who also won the Masters Round. The highest placing seventh grader was Kevin Chen, from Texas, who placed third after the written round and made it to the semi-finals in the Countdown Round.
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
. He was seeded 3rd in the written round. Ben Kraft of Pennsylvania (seeded 5th) was the runner-up. Justin Ahmann from Indiana was the top 7th grader and was 1st in the written round, followed by Allen Yuan of Michigan, while Bobby Shen of Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
was the top 6th grader (13th). Texas won the team competition as well. The most improved team went to Nevada and the Spirit Award went to Pennsylvania, whose team cheer was a parody of "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
's "White and Nerdy."
Kevin Chen appeared on Live with Regis & Kelly on the May 30, 2007 show. After visiting the "Live with Regis and Kelly" show in May, Kevin was nominated for an annual Relly award. On Friday, September 21, Kevin took home the Relly award for Best Junior Achiever after receiving the most votes from viewers.
6th grader Darryl Wu of Washington won the 2008 national championship, seeded third in the Written Round. He appeared on the talk show "Live with Regis and Kelly" on May 16, 2008. He currently attends Lakeside School
Lakeside School
Lakeside School is a private/independent school located in the Haller Lake neighborhood at the north city limits of Seattle, Washington, USA, for grades 5–12....
in Seattle, Washington. Bobby Shen of Sugar Land, Texas won second place (Bobby was also the 2008 written round champion and master's round champion). The written round runner-up was Jason Hyun, a seventh grader from Maryland. Anderson Wang of Pennsylvania and Evan Miller of Kentucky were the semifinalists in the countdown round. Although Maryland had three students in the top five in the Written Round, they were only placed third in the team round because of their poor team round score. Once again, Texas won team national championship. This is the third title for Texas during last four years; the team was led by Coach Jeff Boyd of Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
all three years. The most improved team was South Dakota, and the Spirit Award went to New York, whose cheer was a variation of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's New York, New York
Theme from New York, New York
"Theme from New York, New York" is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York , composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli...
.
The 2009 national Mathcounts champion was 8th grader Bobby Shen of First Colony Middle School in Sugar Land, Texas; Bobby appeared on the NBC Today Show on May 11, 2009. David Yang from California was runner-up and winner of the written competition. In the final Countdown round, which was 1st-seeded David Yang against 3rd-seeded Bobby Shen, a controversy arose. The score was tied 3-3, with 4 being necessary to win, when the final question started. David Yang pressed his buzzer quickly, but his answer (which was correct) was disqualified as he overstepped the 3-second time limit for answering. Bobby Shen then gave the same answer (within the time limit), and won the National competition. Alan Zhou of Massachusetts and Maximilian Schindler of Missouri were the semifinalists in the countdown round. The team title went to Texas for the third consecutive year. The winner of the Master's Round was Maximilian Schindler from Missouri, who was second in the written competition. The top 6th grader was Scott Wu of Louisiana, placing 13th. The most improved team was New Mexico, and the Spirit Award went to the Virgin Islands. The top two teams visited the White House on July 20, 2009, where they crossed paths with the Apollo 11
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
astronauts, Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
, Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
, and Michael Collins
Michael Collins (astronaut)
Michael Collins is a former American astronaut and test pilot. Selected as part of the third group of fourteen astronauts in 1963, he flew in space twice. His first spaceflight was Gemini 10, in which he and command pilot John Young performed two rendezvous with different spacecraft and Collins...
.
The 2010 National Competition was won by Mark Sellke of Indiana, who also won the written round. Second place in both written and overall was Shyam Narayanan of Kansas, who was also the top 7th grader. The Masters Round winner was Alex Song from Michigan. The other semifinalist was Darryl Wu from Washington, who won the competition in 2008 as a 6th grader. The winning team was California for the 6th time in Mathcounts history. Illinois and Washington won 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Massachusetts placed 4th and Texas was 6th. The Team Spirit award went to Kentucky, and the most improved award went to New Mexico for the second time in a row. The top 6th grader was Allen Liu from New York. He was 9th place in the written round. The California team, consisting of team members Douglas Chen, Eugene Chen, Lewis Chen, and Aaron Lin along with coach Donna Phair, Sellke, and Narayanan visited the White House on June 29, 2010, where they met President Obama.
In 2011 the National Competition was won by Scott Wu of Louisiana. The runner-up, Yang Liu of Missouri, was also the Masters Round champion. The written champion was Shyam Narayanan of Kansas. Alec Sun of Massachusetts was the top 6th grader and Kevin Sun of Illinois was the top 7th grader. The winning state was California for the 7th time in history. Second and third place went to Michigan and Texas, respectively.
See also
- Academic gamesAcademic GamesAcademic Games is a U.S. competition in which players win by out-thinking each other in mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Formal tournaments are organized by local leagues, and on a national level by the Academic Games Leagues of America...
- American Mathematics CompetitionsAmerican Mathematics CompetitionsThe American Mathematics Competitions are the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad . This team, consisting of six high school students, competes in the IMO and has traditionally performed well...
- List of mathematics competitions
- Mathcounts historical resultsMathCounts historical resultsThis is a list of historical results in all areas of the National Mathcounts competition.-Countdown Champions:The champions of the Countdown Round are considered the individual national champions of Mathcounts.*1984: Michael Edwards, Texas...
- QuizbowlQuizbowlQuiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
- Reach for the TopReach for the TopReach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
External links
Academic Games
Academic Games is a U.S. competition in which players win by out-thinking each other in mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Formal tournaments are organized by local leagues, and on a national level by the Academic Games Leagues of America...
American Mathematics Competitions
The American Mathematics Competitions are the first of a series of competitions in high school mathematics that determine the United States team for the International Mathematical Olympiad . This team, consisting of six high school students, competes in the IMO and has traditionally performed well...
MathCounts historical results
This is a list of historical results in all areas of the National Mathcounts competition.-Countdown Champions:The champions of the Countdown Round are considered the individual national champions of Mathcounts.*1984: Michael Edwards, Texas...
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top is a Canadian game show in which teams of high school students participate in local, provincial and eventually national trivia tournaments...
- Mathcounts Home Page
- Large Mathcounts Forum for students and teachers
- White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Photos: 2001,2005, 2006, 2007, 2008,2009